White Christmas?

White Christmas?

Friday 16 December 2005 19.24 EST
First published on Friday 16 December 2005 19.24 EST

Our fixation for drinking red wine over Christmas is probably rooted not just in a preference for something sturdy enough to see off grisly, drizzly weather, but also in the idea that all that rich food needs a wine that can stand up to it. And so it does. But it doesn't have to be a red.

White wines are the unsung heroes of the December dinner table. Every time I have road-tested Christmas dinner with a selection of accompanying wines, the whites have come out best; so much so that they have even converted my husband (always acutely suspicious of change) to their cause.

Viognier is the star grape here. It has a fabulous, luscious opulence that can wrap itself around any of the resounding clatter of vibrant, fruity flavours you might find in a traditional turkey meal, from cranberry and clementine to bacon-wrapped prunes. Its apricot, peach and honeysuckle notes act like extra seasonings and sauces, but it also has a refreshing sheen that helps it all slide down. It also works well with honey-roast ham, emphasising the sweet, moist perfume of the meat.

Try the Australian Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2005 (around £6.99, at Waitrose, Tesco, selected Sainsbury's, Co-op, Unwins, and Majestic, where it's £5.49 a bottle when you buy two). Yalumba has a formidable reputation with this grape, and produces wines that have aromatic elegance and do not cloy. Or a blend such as the vivid D'Arenberg The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne 2004 (£7.99, Oddbins), in which the marsanne grape, more usually found in France, together with judicious use of oak, gives a dry solidity to viognier's oozing, pineapple and apricot tropicality.

Good white burgundies, or chardonnay from elsewhere, are also a safe, if traditional, bet with turkey. Vergelegen Chardonnay 2004 (£7.99, (Sainsbury's, Majestic), from Stellenbosch in South Africa, is superbly balanced and a supermarket highlight. Determined to break the bank? Then go for the rich, nutty Meursault Domaine Vincent Bouzereau 2004 - Majestic has a parcel and it's £19.99.

And if your accent flavours are more herbal than fruity - all pinenuts, sausage-meat and thyme, say, with subtle apricots rather than vulgar cranberry - then consider a white from the environs of the Rhône valley, maybe the smooth Le Pigeoulet des Brunier Blanc 2004, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse (£6.75, Lay & Wheeler), a blend of grenache blanc and clairette with a touch of honey, citrus and spice.

Aromatic whites also work with the lushly fatty flesh of duck (yes, really, though it depends what you cook it with: red fruits demand red wine, but think of the classic, beguilingly combination of duck and orange and you'll begin to see how it might work: try an Alsatian riesling) and goose (a full chardonnay; either of those mentioned above will do).

Drinks Q&A

Of course, no one wants to drink only white wine at Christmas, so this week, instead of a reader's query, I'm giving over this slot to a few red wine recommendations to go alongside all the whites above.

Probably the most versatile red grape in the Christmas arsenal is pinot noir. It will go with the full turkey works and is also a natural with game birds, with which it somehow underscores their tremulous autumnal flavours. A juicy pinot noir is good with roast ham, too. One of my favourites is Vincent Girardin's impeccably classy Emotion de Terroirs Rouge 2002 (£11.99, Oddbins). With pheasant, grouse and the like, I also enjoy the slightly bitter twist of a north Italian red - and Barbera d'Asti 'Tabarin' Icardi 2003 (£7.99, Oddbins), from Piedmont, has this, as well as hints of morello cherries, cough mixture and some gentle oak.

But what if you're looking for a claret to go with cold cuts or a joint of roast beef? Well, Château Bel Air 1999, Graves de Vayres (£6.49, Corney & Barrow) is highly unusual at this price in that it has had a few years of ageing. This mellowed, developing style is not to everyone's taste - some prefer the crisp red-ness of a year-old wine - but it suits me just fine.

With richly meaty dishes - casseroles, beef pies, confit of duck, that sort of thing - relax into the reassuring, grainy heft of Hegarty Chamans No. 1 2003 (£9.99, Oddbins; £10.99, Adnams), an unfiltered blend of syrah, carignan and mourvèdre whose dark, savoury, earthy grip feels strong and wild enough to see off any ghouls. Those who relish the berryish, sweet intensity of New World wines will probably prefer the Chilean Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 (£7.99, Tesco, down from £9.99 until January 3).

Finally, a port: M&S Organic Reserve Port (£9.99) would not disgrace any table. The danger with port is that your hosts will get out the stale, half-drunk bottle they also served last year. I don't think there's any chance of not finishing off this one, though.